Wayland's Waack: Stop the other monster

Friday

Sep 15, 2017 at 1:07 PMSep 16, 2017 at 10:21 AM

TO THE EDITOR:

The signs being displayed in Wayland say “Stop the Monster.”

The question is which one? The monster 40B project sponsored by the town of Wayland on town-owned land on Rte. 20 west or the monster 40B project being proposed for the Mahoney’s property on Rte. 20 east.

The 40B project planned by the town of Wayland will be 188 living units in three buildings of three- and four-story structures on about 8 acres. This is a residential density of 23.5 units per acre.

The Mahoney’s property’s 40B proposal is for a 60-unit development on Rte. 20 east on 6.5 acres consisting of a single three-story structure with underground parking. The proposal is a residential density of 9.2 units per acre.

The proposal for the 40B housing development on Mahoney’s property on Rte. 20 east is being demonized by Wayland authorities for environmental and traffic concerns (“40B project sparks concerns,” Town Crier, Aug. 3) and residential density.

The town-sponsored development (Rte. 20 west, adjacent to the transfer station road and the Sudbury River) will have two-and-a-half times higher residential density than the proposed development on the Mahoney’s property on Rte. 20 east. Why no traffic concerns on Rte. 20 west? The concentration of 188 residential units will surely result in more traffic than 60 units. Add the landfill traffic, which now apparently will involve Department of Public Works traffic to access the new building materials storage bins at the landfill.

The Wayland town-owned property to be sold for the 40B at the Rte. 20 west development is currently being used by the schools for bus parking and by the DPW for storage of road materials. Finding alternative space will be costly to the town. Any financial gain for the sale of the property will fade as new costs are realized and landfill users encounter the additional traffic.

The town-sponsored, so-called “River’s Edge” 40B housing on Rte. 20 west will have extreme residential density and be three multi-story structures. It should not be allowed to proceed.

To sell town land for the purpose of building a high-unit density 40B project is foolish and self-defeating. The negativity focused on the Mahoney’s project should apply to River’s Edge. We should keep town land for public use. – Richard Waack, Morrill Drive